Top of Shen Ramon and Across To Be'erot Campground

The northern face of Shen Ramon is a short but steep climb up a draw, from which you can see the crater from the south. I ran into a group of kids from a boarding high school in Bet Shemesh. Their rabbi, Ariel, had led them up the mountain and they were heading back down to meet their bus. I walked with them for a bit on the way down, and learned a bit about them. Apparently, the kids come from troubled families and are involved in experience-based learning, going on hikes, building and selling outdoor furniture, that kind of stuff.  We passed an ammonite wall, where you can see ancient giant mollusc fossils (many chiseled out by enterprising Israelis and tourists, leaving craters in the wall) and parted ways. I then hiked up and over a saddle in the ridge overlooking Highway 40, walked down to it and crossed it, then walked down a riverbed and up the Oil Road to Be'erot Campground for a day total of about 25 kilometers.